The Clutch of the Past
by shadow375
Summary: Skye touches an 0-8-4 that shrinks her into a toddler but keeps her adult memories. The team goes out on an errand when a piece of her past makes an unwelcome appearance. Slightly SkyeWard. Focuses on the original team Season one. Warning: mentions of abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** This was written in less than 24 hours and so I apologize for any grammar mistakes. As always, I do not own Agents of Shield.

 **Warning: mentions of child abuse**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Ward stands in the Asian food aisle, trying to decide on the brand of rice while the tiny midget known as Skye walks a few feet ahead of him.

It was only yesterday that they had gone out on another mission where Skye had of course broken protocol and touched the 0-8-4, despite Fitz' high pitched squeal of warning.

Having been too quick, the analyst had immediately shrunk to what Coulson referred to as a _small human_. Luckily, the scientists had managed to secure the device and the team had made it out with only minimal damage to the BUS.

It was only when Simmons had completed her exam on the toddler version of Skye did they find out that Skye's memories and knowledge were intact, but her hormone levels were that of a three year old.

Although, to Ward, she looked no older than two at her whopping height of 32 inches.

With having flown the BUS out of the danger zone, FitzSimmons had hooked up the artifact to their machines, attempting to analyze some sort of sequence in order to undo the shrinking of his rookie. Unable to do anything in regards to Skye's size till the computer ran the diagnostics and with the BUS' current condition, Coulson had decided that it was great timing to take the plane in while the whole team went and stocked up on supplies.

Ward wished they had simply gone on leave instead of having this forced team interaction, but the SHIELD crew had assured Coulson that the repairs weren't going to take too long.

Which is how he found himself stuck with his miniature rookie as everyone had split up in pairs once they had made it to the store. It's not that he didn't like Skye. He just had quickly discovered that the toddler version got bored of things a lot faster than the adult one. And that, in of its self, was saying a lot.

His thoughts return to the present when he hears the hacker.

"Why are you looking at her butt?" Skye's little voice is directed at him. He looks down to the girl, confused as his gaze had been solely focused on the boxes.

Then it hits him. This is _Skye_. His rookie. Just embodied in an innocent looking child.

He looks up from Skye only to see the woman to his right now openly staring at him.

"Daddy, is this what mommy was talking about when she called you a cheater?" the demon child continued, eyes innocently looking up at him.

Ward chances a glance in the woman's direction and is met with a glare before she shakes her head in disgust and walks off.

Grant in turn glares at Skye. "That wasn't funny," he growls out.

Skye doesn't agree as she chuckles before skipping down the aisle. Literally. Skipping. Because she can get away with it. Because she is a damned cute kid…not that he would ever admit that to her smug smiling face. He grumbles under his breath before following at a slower pace and attempting to hide the glare.

It wouldn't look good if people caught a grown man shooting death stares at a kid who looked to be no older than three, no matter how resistant the said kid was to his glares.

"Can we get ice cream?" Skye asks, slowing down just enough to let him catch up.

"No," he easily responds, enjoying the fact that he has a little bit of power when he is reminded that she can't shop, or be out on her own.

Skye immediately stops, her hands moving to her hips in annoyance.

Ward turns, but resists rolling his eyes. He raises an eyebrow in a, _what are you going to do about it?,_ fashion.

He can see the wheels inside her brain turning, her teeth grinding in frustration at her dependence on him and the rest of the team. It's adorable, really.

She finally drops her hands and silently walks past him. He doesn't allow it show, but her reaction makes him nervous. He's wise enough to know that he hasn't won.

"I'll just ask Fitz," she finally says her voice almost sounding defeated, but she makes no move to walk away from him.

Ward almost breaks, watching the pouting little girl follow him around, her expression sad as if someone had kicked her puppy. But then he remembers the cheater comment and his sympathy is pushed aside.

"We have to get milk," he states, more for the sake of conversation. He walks past an elderly couple and into the dairy section. Just as he is about to grab a carton of milk, "Daddy, what's porn?"

 _Innocent, like hell,_ he thinks.

The elderly couple looks on in surprise.

"Mommy says your…your adidication to it is ruining the marriage," she perfectly and believably butchers the word.

Their surprise turns to full on glares.

Ward doesn't react. He's a specialist. He tries not to react. He feels his teeth grinding against each other. Grabbing the milk, Ward turns around and walks away.

"What did I say?" Skye states in a sad little voice, her tone, oh so confused. The couple falls for it as they tell her what a good girl she is.

She thanks them and Ward hears it all but refuses to look back. Skye skips to his side. "So Ward, about that ice cream…"

"You just couldn't go with FitzSimmons… or Coulson and May," he grumbles loud enough for her to hear.

"Nah," she easily replies and he can hear the smirk on her face. "It would not be _nearly_ as fun as _this_!" She giggles, skipping past him once again.

He inhales and with no one around, he allows a small groan to escape before he starts heading to the next aisle, where he hears, "Mary. Sue. Poots? Is that you?"

He turns the corner to see that Skye is already towards the end of the aisle where a man had just turned, catching his rookie off guard.

Skye shuffles back but the man reaches out and grabs her arm. Ward immediately drops the basket and rushes towards his rookie.

"No! Let me go!" Skye cries out, fear echoing in her voice.

"Mary, it's ok," the man replies, still holding on as he attempts to pull her to him.

"Grant!" she desperately calls out as she fights to get away, unknown to the hacker that he is right behind her.

With one hand protectively on Skye, Ward grabs the man's forearm, tightly gripping a pressure point. "Get your hand off of her," he growls out low, menacingly.

The man cries out in pain, releasing the young girl just as Coulson and May arrive to the scene. They immediately take their place in between the stranger and Ward who is crouched with a frightened analyst burying her head into his chest.

"You don't understand," the man starts.

But Ward ignores him, his attention on the crying kid whose begging him. "Please. Please don't give me to him. Don't make me go back! I'll be good!"

Grant wraps his arms tightly around her and can feel her entire body shaking in fear. His chest tightens at her distress. "You are not going anywhere Skye. You'll stay right here with me, ok?" He picks her up and she rests her head on his shoulders, her tiny fingers clutching onto his shirt.

"Mary!" the man calls out past Coulson and May.

Skye whimpers against Grant's neck, trying so hard to bury her head even farther.

Ward wants to kill him. He doesn't care about the story. All he knows is his rookie was happy and skipping and this man caused this reaction from her.

"Coulson," Grant calls out.

The leader turns his head, studying the analyst. "Get her out of here."

Ward immediately makes his way to the front door. "I gotcha rookie," he gently reassures, as she tucks her head under his chin. "No one is going to hurt you," he states, desperate for her to understand that she is safe.

Ward feels the panic subside, her grip loosening and tremors easing up, as he walks to the SUV and away from the store. Unlocking the doors, he opens the trunk and sets Skye down before texting Coulson their location. He joins his rookie as they wait for their team to make their way out.

He doesn't ask her about who it was, though he's tempted. The specialist simply assumes that it was one of the foster care parents in which she had had to live with, aware that she had been bounced from home to home.

He finally understands what FitzSimmons meant when they explained that she retained her adult memories but her emotions were going to be a little harder to control. Losing a couple feet of height and being unable to defend yourself didn't help the matter.

So he patiently waits for her to talk in his attempt at giving her some semblance of control.

He feels the toddlers weight against his arm and to his own surprise, he lifts it without a second thought. Skye nuzzles her little body against him, burying her head into his side.

Her eyes move to the store's entryways, nervously watching, waiting.

She finally looks away from the store and slowly turns her head, her eyes scanning the parking lot before he feels her entire being freeze.

Ward alarmingly glances up, but spots no immediate or potential danger. His attention returns to the frightened girl whose skin has gotten pale. She draws up her knees to her chest and Grant can feel her pushing against him, trying to get closer than she already is. He protectively tightens his grip around her.

"What's wrong Skye?" he gently asks.

His rookie hesitates, eyes slowly rising to meet his. "It's his car," she states miserably, quietly. She nods her head in the direction and Grant follows her line of sight.

It's a black four door Honda civic parked in the aisle right across from them. There isn't much that's special about it as he spots at least ten other similar makes within his line of sight. He can't help but to wonder how old she was when she was thrown into that man's 'care'. With the way he easily recognized her, she couldn't have been much older than the guesstimated age of three that FitzSimmons had come up with. Could a kid that young really remember in precision what someone's car looked like? And yet, she hadn't pointed to any of the others.

As if hearing his thoughts, "See…see that small crack in the right tail light?"

Her soft voice caught him off guard. She sounds so small. Frightened.

He hates it.

Before his mind could get carried away, Ward glances at the car, studying the taillights closely. He is not surprised to find a crack. A part of him dreads knowing why she shuddered at the sight of the vehicle. He shuts his thoughts down, unwilling to imagine all of the possibilities. Not when she needs him. Needs his full attention.

"Yeah," he finally replies, keeping his tone gentle and quiet.

"I did that," she tells him.

He's again not surprised and had assumed as much. He looks at Skye, but her attention is solely focused on the car.

"I broke a plate once and…and he locked me in the trunk for two days," she whispers in confession. "It was an accident," she quickly adds, as if scared that he would take her abusers side. "The plate," Skye interjects his thoughts. "The plate was an accident. The light wasn't… I…It was so dark and it got cold. I called for help, but he lived out in the woods and no one could hear me, no matter how hard I tried," her voice cracks and she gasps for air as she fights to get the words out. She looks up at him, her eyes welled up with tears, "it was an accident! I swear Grant, it was an accident! I didn't mean to break the plate," she shakes her head, her face begging him to understand.

Grant's chest aches for the young girl. For knowing that his rookie ever had to face that kind of helplessness at such a young age. The man had abused an innocent kid who had no voice. Who was broken and just craved to be wanted.

It's at that moment that Ward decides that the guy who owns that car is dead. His mind already begins to plan the self-assigned mission as he maps out and lists places that he can stash the car where no one will discover it or hear the bastard's cries from the trunk. He easily memorizes the license plate as he feels the anger consume him.

He fights the rage when he hears the small gasps. She's having a panic attack and he needs to make it stop.

He doesn't do this, doesn't do 'kids', let alone comforting them. But he can't stand watching the fear that takes over her as she fights to breath. He needs to make her feel safe because. Although he knows its Skye in there, she currently has the emotions of a toddler whose facing their nightmare.

Getting out of the trunk, Grant kneels in front of the girl and reaches a hand to cup her face. Her attention shifts away from the car and towards him, but only for a second.

"I can't breath!"

Her SO can feel the panic start to get to him. Grant Ward is a specialist whose social skills are compared to that of a brick. He doesn't do team player.

Ward pauses.

He _used_ to not do team player. This is _his_ rookie.

"Hey, hey, look at me," he gently requests. Skye complies, tearing her eyes away from the other car.

"No one is going to hurt you, Skye. Not while I'm around. While _we're_ around," he corrects.

Her tear filled eyes study him. "Promise," she says in between gasps as she attempts to wipe the tears away.

He doesn't even think about it. "I promise," he replies. "Come here," he offers, opening his arms in invitation.

She wastes no time in scooting towards him.

Picking the girl up and shutting the trunk, he walks away from the cars and her panic trigger, all the while words of reassurance instinctively leave his lips. Slowly her breathing evens, her body stops shaking, though she is still tense. He finds a patch of grass and settles down against a tree with Skye in his lap.

He watches her as she frustratingly wipes off the tears. "Sorry, I can't control it."

Grant lightly chuckles. "You have the hormones of a toddler, I think I can let it go."

Skye defensively crosses her arms before she realizes what she's done and lets them drop to her side. Her eyes move back to the store. "He won't hurt them, will he?" she nervously asks, worried about the team.

Grant knows it's a bit illogical, considering the Calvary is in there along with Coulson to protect the scientists if need be. But then again, he hasn't seen first hand what the man is capable of. "May's in there," he reminds her.

She seems to process the words as she relaxes against him.

Wanting distract her, Ward stands up, "Come on, I got an idea."

His rookie doesn't ask as she quietly looks to their surroundings. He can't help but to notice how tired she looks.

"Grant," she shyly calls out.

"Yeah," he replies gently, not a tone he uses often.

"I'm sorry about what I did in there," she nods back to the store, looking ashamed with her downcast eyes that study his chest.

He hates how defeated she looks. He moves his arm in a small quick motion, jolting the young girl enough to get her attention. "It was kind of funny," he says with a small smirk.

It's all it takes for a tiny smile to start forming on her face. "It was?" she asks, nothing like his rookie who would have taken the comment and ran with it. But then again, he had never seen his rookie in such a vulnerable state.

"Just a little," he replies.

Her body relaxes as the smile grows. She rests her head against his shoulder. He feels her breath ghost against his neck when she lets out a sigh, sounding content.

Before he catches himself, Ward instinctively turns his head and gives the hacker a gentle kiss on the forehead. He tenses at his own actions, but she simply smiles, snuggling against him.

When they reach the building, Skye lifts her head up, studying their surroundings just as Ward grabs the door handle.

"What are we doing at a gas station?"

Ward shrugs in reply. Once they're inside, "Do you want to walk?" he offers, not wanting her to feel like he is babying her.

Skye nervously glances around at the people before turning her eyes back to him. She bites her lip and he knows that she's anxious about her response as she shakes her head, _no._

"Ok," he simply replies, like it isn't a big deal that she wants to be held…like it isn't a big deal that he's happy with her response as he's not ready to let go of her yet when his protective instincts are kicking in full force.

He makes his way over to the small freezer and realization dawns across Skye's expression.

"Which one do you want?" he asks, readjusting his grip on the girl so she is leaning over the glass door that faces the ceiling.

"Ward, you really don't have to do this," she reassures him.

And with that, he wants to do it even more. Heck, he would buy her an entire freezer full if he could. But then again, Fitz would probably eat it all. "I think we have earned it," he replies, gently nudging his arm up. "So which one?"

Skye smiles at him. It's not one of those smiles that one sees on a child's face. This smile is much more… adult-ish. A smile that genuinely shows how much she appreciates this.

After contemplating her options, she finally points to the one she wants and Ward grabs two of them before heading to the counter.

"Oh my God, your little girl is absolutely adorable!" A younger lady coos from behind them.

Grant is surprised when Skye buries her head into his neck. "Yes she is," he simply replies before paying. He can feel his rookie smirk against his skin and he already knows it was the right answer.

Shooting Coulson a text, the specialist takes the hacker to a small picnic table where he finally sets her down. As soon as he sits, he feels Skye's little hand rest on his thigh. He doesn't comment regarding her need for contact, instead, he silently pulls out the ice cream cones. They eat them in a comfortable silence.

Half way through her cone, Skye gets up and tosses it in the garbage.

Ward can't help but chuckle at seeing that, like a true toddler, Skye has managed to get the ice cream on her face and hands.

"I have little hands and it was a big cone!" Skye defends herself.

The specialist simply shakes his head before lifting her up. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

It scares him how natural it feels to care for a little human…

He pushes the thoughts aside, focusing on lifting his rookie and setting her on the counter in order to be able to reach the sink. He hands her a napkin to dry off as he watches their reflection in the mirror.

Skye pulls the napkin down as she studies their image. "I really am adorable," she states, but he can hear her forcing herself to act as if everything is ok.

He rolls his eyes for the sake of keeping their interactions normal but doesn't deny it.

When their eyes meet in the mirror, his rookie turns to him shyly, "Thank you…for everything."

Ward wants to shrug. Wants to pretend that this all doesn't affect him. But he can't bring himself to. Not with those little brown eyes anxiously waiting on his response. "What are SO's for," he instead replies.

The hacker smiles, as she finishes drying her hands. "You know…I have been wondering that," she cheekily responds.

"That's it," Ward states in a warning voice before snagging the girl off of the counter.

She squeals in surprise, her hands desperately clutching onto him.

The fear he sees cross her features has him quickly straightening his hold on her. "You've been dropped," he states more than asks, her reaction being the only evidence he needs.

Skye shrugs, before her eyes meet his. "'I'm small and have no coordination,'" she quotes.

It only serves to annoy Ward. Someone had dropped a kid…dropped her and had actually blamed her for it. He represses another growl of frustration.

"I won't drop you," he promises as they make their way out. He doesn't understand why he's so desperate for her to trust him.

"I know," Skye replies before shrugging again. "It's just instinct."

They head outside to find the SUV waiting, Coulson's corvette close behind. Strapping Skye into the car seat, Grant easily convinces Simmons to take shotgun as he sits next to his rookie. She falls asleep within minutes, her fingers wrapped around his hand that rests lightly in her lap.

* * *

 **AN** : So this is meant to be a short story. Maybe only another chapter if you guys like it. I couldn't sleep last night so I wrote this instead. Plus, I needed a small break from Tainted Perception.

I know Ward is off, but this is how I imagine he would act with a kid Skye. Hope you enjoyed! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning, more angst and less humor. Also, I'm lacking sleep so there might be more mistakes than usual.  
**

 **Previously** : Skye touches an 0-8-4 that shrinks her into a toddler but keeps her adult memories. The team goes out on an errand when they run into one of her previous foster guardians, triggering panic in Skye who clutches to Ward for comfort. They head back to the BUS.

 ** _Last chapter:_** _Strapping Skye into the car seat, Grant easily convinces Simmons to take shotgun as he sits next to his rookie. She falls asleep within minutes, her fingers wrapped around his hand that rests lightly in her lap._

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Ward gently pries his hand away from the tiny fingers before quietly moving to the other side of the SUV where he opens the door to pull out his rookie. It's amazing how much smaller she looks when she sleeps.

How much more vulnerable she is.

He clenches his hands into fists as he remembers that this same tiny girl had once been tossed into the trunk of a car for two days for simply breaking a plate.

He reminds himself to breath. To shove the emotions down for when he can actually do something about them.

Only once he's calm does he allow himself to gently reach out to the sleeping toddler, trying not to wake her. He manages to pick her up before she stirs. Lifting her head, she looks around with a daze before her glossy eyes land on him and she relaxes. Letting out a yawn, Skye rests her head back on his shoulder, burrowing her face into his neck.

Grant would be lying if he didn't admit that he was caught off guard. Trying his best to look unaffected as FitzSimmons shoot him looks of interest and Coulson's face has that damn, _I know what's going on_ grin, Ward goes straight to the ramp.

Halfway to the second floor, he smiles when he hears Fitz grumble to Coulson, "how come Ward doesn't have to take in the groceries and unpack?"

Walking into Skye's bunk, he slips her tiny shoes off before gently placing the hacker into her bed. He crouches at the side, tucking her in. She turns towards him, curling up. "I'm not sleepy," she mumbles, her eyes half closed.

"I know you're not," he quietly lies and patiently waits.

Unable to fight it any longer, the small hacker closes her eyes. Though it is only five in the afternoon, Skye has had an emotionally draining day.

Ward hears the footsteps pass the bunk and it hits him how much of a sap he is. He pulls his hand away and turns off the light before walking out, leaving the door slightly ajar.

 _*******AoS*******_

Skye wakes up feeling disoriented as she wonders when the last time she had taken a nap was. She rolls out of bed, or attempts to until she finds herself on the ground with a thud.

The day's events come crashing around her as she is harshly reminded that she is three feet shorter.

Walking to the kitchen, she finds the team busying themselves with prepping dinner. She's disappointed when she realizes that Ward isn't there, but pushes the feelings aside.

Coulson finally catches a glimpse of the quiet toddler. "Hey sleepy head," he greets lightly before chuckling at her appearance.

Skye doesn't respond and he's not surprised as she looks like she is in the middle of waking up. Wiping his hands on a towel, Coulson crouches in front of the kid, his hands gently straightening her hair that has managed to go everywhere.

"What do you say we go and get you cleaned up? Dinner is almost ready," Phil offers.

Skye looks back to the kitchen before her stare lands back on him. She rubs her eyes tiredly and nods.

Coulson lifts the sleepy child up and she rests her head on his shoulder. The older man smiles, forgetting what it felt like to carry such a small human.

"Where's Ward?" are her first words.

"He had to go out on a mission," he simply responds but then remembers that this is an adult stuck in a child's body and that she probably wants a more thorough explanation.

Before he can get another word out, "He left?" she asks, her expression pulling a pout that he doesn't think she's aware of.

Coulson rethinks the need to go into details on her SO's assignment. "Fury said it was a quick one. It shouldn't take long," he reassures.

Skye studies him before turning her attention to the sink, her disappointment and doubt easily seen but she says nothing.

"He'll be back before you know it," Coulson tries again, desperate to get that sad look off of her face. But his reassurance does nothing.

Skye remains quiet throughout dinner but stays close to Coulson at all times. Even as he washes the dishes, the young hacker stands by his feet, patiently waiting.

It throws everyone off from the bubbly, impatient personality they had seen just a few hours ago.

"Do you want to help clear the table?" Simmons asks as if she's talking to a three year old.

Skye's eyes sharpen in annoyance at the tone but she moves over to help anyways, not acknowledging Simmons', "Sorry."

The hacker is frustrated when she can't even see over the table at her current height, though it doesn't stop her from trying as she blindly reaches up.

Jemma bites her lip nervously at the struggling toddler. She remains quiet until she sees her hand inch towards the knife. The biochemist reaches to intervene but before she can get the full warning out of, "Skye watch out for the-"

The young hacker has managed to wrap her little hand around the sharp end of a knife. Skye jerks it away at the sting of pain and knocks over a cup that sits at the edge. The glass falls and she watches in horror, unable to act in time as it hits the floor and shatters.

Skye studies the pieces and her illogical mind wonders if she can put it back together, but there are too many pieces and it has never worked in the past. The young girl hesitantly raises her eyes to Coulson, stepping away from the shards scattered across the floor.

Phil starts to reassure the kid but she bolts before a word leaves his mouth. Instinctively, Coulson runs after her, catching up within a few steps. Wrapping an arm around her, the older agent stops the hacker but she continues to fight to get away. "It's ok. Skye, it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." He turns her to face him, hoping if she sees him, it will calm her down.

"It was an accident!" She defends, though she doesn't know if she believes it as this is not the first glass she has broken. "I'm sorry," she whimpers out, struggling to get out of his grasp. "Please-" she requests, tugging to free her arm.

"Skye," Coulson gently calls out. "It is ok. It was just a plate," he slowly repeats.

The hacker stops fighting to get away as she studies the man in front of her. Her eyes move to take in her surroundings, as if she is just now realizing where she is before they return to the man crouched down before her. "Coulson?" she questions faintly.

"Yeah," he simply confirms, his concerned eyes studying the young hacker. "You ok?" he gently asks.

Skye nods. "I just forgot where I was," she softly replies, her hand rubbing her head.

"Ok," he tells her calmly, unwilling to let her see his worry. Coulson loosens his hold, taking her bleeding hand in his to examine the damage. "Come on, lets get that cut cleaned up."

Skye yanks her hand away. "You're not gonna put the burnin stuff are ya?"

Phil is amazed and pained at the amount of fear reflected in the brown orbs staring back at him.

Coulson shakes his head and the analyst slightly relaxes. "Can I pick you up?"

Skye merely nods, allowing him to take her back to the kitchen where FitzSimmons are almost done sweeping the shards off of the floor. The team leader sets the girl on the counter and proceeds to clean her hand out with water and soap. May steps on the other side of Skye with a first aid kit in tow.

"This will help with the bleeding and stinging," she quietly states, pulling out a Neosporin tube.

Skye is hesitant as she reaches out to Coulson's hand with her uninjured one.

It's as if she is unsure if she wants to rely on his comfort. Phil wraps his hand around hers, making the decision easy for the young girl.

The hacker squeezes Coulson's fingers in anticipation of the cream but does not withdraw her injured arm away from the pilot.

"It's ok Skye. It won't hurt, I promise," Coulson reassures.

"Adults make a lot of prom-" Skye begins to mumble under her breath but stops herself.

Coulson shares a worried look with May but neither comment. Once the gel is applied, the team leader steps over to Simmons, allowing May to finish bandaging up the cut.

"Simmons, I think we need to run a few tests," he states, being sure the shortest member doesn't hear them.

"I couldn't agree more," Jemma replies in a whisper.

"It's almost as if she's digressing," Fitz joins in.

"We'll get the lab ready," Simmons continues before the two scientists leave.

"Hey Skye," Coulson walks up to the kid. "We gotta…" the older man stops himself, realizing that he was wording it like he spoke to a child. "We need to run a few tests, make sure nothing has changed."

Skye shrugs in response, uncaring.

Phil hates seeing her this depressed and wonders how much of it might have something to do with a certain specialist. He picks her back up off of the counter. "He'll be back," he quietly reassures the hacker as he makes his way down the stairs and to the lab.

Skye studies his face but doesn't reply.

Once the tests were finished, the youngest member had asked if she could go to bed. Coulson couldn't blame her as she looked exhausted beyond what a little human her age should look.

He had walked her up, helping to get her teeth brushed and pulling out her Captain America pajamas that he had gotten her. She'd simply raised a brow when she had first seen them and he had shrugged in reply. She'd mumbled something about child abuse and shook her head before walking to her room to change. It had been the most like Skye she had been since the store.

Having tucked her in Coulson had asked if she wanted some company till she fell asleep and she had declined, stating, "I'm a big girl, Coulson," before she turned her back to him to face the wall.

Coulson had left the door cracked before going to the briefing table where FitzSimmons and May waited.

"That was some lousy timing of taking Ward on a mission," May states upon seeing the dejection on Coulson's face.

The leader nods in agreement before turning to Simmons. "What did you find? Any changes?"

"There were no changes in the brain development," the biochemist replies, pulling up images of the before and after of the brain scans that none of them can read, but Coulson nods anyways.

"But." The screen changes to one of lab values. "Her stress hormones are much much too high," she sadly states.

Coulson crosses his arms, attention on the lab value highlighted in red. "After she broke the glass and ran, she actually admitted that she had forgotten where she was."

Jemma nods, as if what he has just said is normal. "I'm afraid with her stress hormones being so high, she's more likely to have flashbacks. And we all know that Skye's childhood was no walk in the park, even before today."

"But she's still herself?" May asks.

"Yes and no. There are no changes from the previous tests other than the cortisol levels. However, our 23 year old Skye is having to process things at the emotional capacity of a three year old."

"A traumatized three year old," Fitz corrects.

Simmons cringes at the reminder. "Precisely."

"But why the drastic change?" May asks.

"Not only are her experiences and memories as an adult being filtered through a toddlers brain, the stress is making it hard to distinguish her identity as an adult versus a toddler," Simmons answers but is met with confusion.

"Fear is one of the strongest emotions, especially in a child who can't completely comprehend it. Skye has just been turned into a tiny human that can't defend herself. She was fine at the beginning of the transformation because she could distinguish that she was simply an adult stuck in a child's body. She was safe, therefore, to her, nothing had changed except her height. But at the store-"

"She was forced to face a childhood fear," Coulson interjects.

"Precisely. Her fear and stress are instinctual, overriding any logic," Jemma states.

"And now, she thinks Ward left her," Coulson adds.

"To Skye, it probably is more on the major scale of abandonment," Simmons states. She immediately regrets the words at the pained expression on Coulson's face.

"There's no physical danger to her for now," Fitz points out. "But emotionally, she's struggling."

"PTSD?" May questions.

"She's having flashbacks," Coulson concludes. "How else would she forget that she's on the BUS."

No one argues against the conclusion.

"With how high her levels are, I imagine her anxiety is through the roof," Simmons picks up. "The best thing we can do right now, is make her feel safe. As Fitz said, she's not in any current danger…just miserable."

Coulson nods, absorbing all of the information in. "How long till we get something off of the 0-8-4?"

"We're not exactly sure. Could be a couple of hours," Fitz shrugs.

"And that's just for the diagnostics," Simmons clarifies.

"Why so long?" May asks, surprise in her tone.

"The object is emitting frequencies and it seems to go through a set of different patterns on repeat. We're currently trying to find the one that was associated with when Skye touched the object," Jemma replies.

"We're hoping if we find a way to reverse it, it will turn Skye back to herself," Fitz continues.

"With lots of testing before hand," Coulson states more than asks as he tries not to imagine Skye withering away.

"Of course!" Simmons replies as if he's just offended her.

Before he can apologize, he catches a glimpse of a movement in the shadows of Skye's bunk.

Walking over, he opens the bunk door to find the small toddler holding a ball of…clothes?

His eyes move to the bare bed and it all clicks. The young hacker backs up against the wall, her eyes downcast in shame.

"It…it was an accident," she stutters in a tiny voice.

Coulson looks back to the team. "FitzSimmons, let me know when we can start running some tests," he dismisses the two scientists who take the hint and head down to the lab. The head of the team just gives May a look and his second in command walks right over.

"Skye." Stepping into the room, he crouches. It's only then that he can see that the child is visibly shaking. He turns to the pilot, "Mel can you get the lights?" he softly asks as not to frighten the girl in front of him.

"No!" Skye exclaims, her fear filled eyes shifting to the bed.

It's not hard to understand why she wants the room dark. She's scared that they will see her mess. "It's ok Skye," May crouches down beside him, leaving the light off. "Accidents happen," she reassures softly, almost catching Coulson off guard. But Coulson knows she's always had a soft side to her.

Phil reaches to take the sheets from her, but the tiny girl tightens her hold, drawing them closer to her chest. He lowers his hands, slowly. They are already blocking the only exit and he doesn't want to frighten the poor kid any more. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asks conversationally.

Skye thinks it over, confusion crossing her features. "I was in a trunk," she finally replies. Her eyes drift back to the bed, as if she's trying to put two and two together.

"Skye," he draws her attention back. "Do you know where you are?"

She thinks it over. "The BUS," she finally replies, her shoulders sagging in relief till her eyes drift to the bundle of shame in her arms whose dampness has grown cold.

"How about you go with May to get cleaned up and I'll take care of the bed," he offers gently, again reaching out for the sheets.

"It's my mess, I should clean it up," she replies.

Coulson wonders how many times she's woken up with a nightmare and has had to clean up her own mess as a child. He shakes the thoughts away. "It was an accident," he reaffirms. "I'll just toss that in the laundry," he shrugs, like it is the easiest task in the world to complete as his fingers tighten on the cloth.

Skye hesitantly lets go. Her gaze moves to the floor once more as she shyly makes her way to May, whose already grabbed another pair of pajamas.

Coulson and May share another concerned look as the pilot leads the young hacker to the shower room. Phil shudders when he tries to imagine what little Skye is feeling right now as she deals with the shame of a 23 year old who wet the bed but is processing it with the emotional capacity of a toddler.

He wonders if Ward's return will even make a difference at this point, despite the younger Skye's fascination with him.

They need to figure out how to undo this, and fast.

* * *

 **AN:** ** **Sorry! I didn't even realize how long ago this story was submitted!** I honestly would have loved to do this as a long story, but alas, I told myself I'm not allowed to without Tainted Perception being finished. I'm thinking one, maybe two more chapters to wrap this up.  
**

 **Again, sorry for taking forever! Would love to know your thoughts!**


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